The invention relates to an electrophoretic imaging device.
According to Japanese Patent Examined Publications Nos. 21781/1968 and 9870/1969 and the like, a Xerox-based electrophoretic imaging method or photo-electrophoretic imaging method produces a positive image and a negative image, both images being in a color that corresponds to a spectral response of an exposing light ray, on a transparent electrode and a blocking electrode, respectively, by the following way. A developing solution, in which cyan particles that are sensitive to red light; magenta particles that are sensitive to green light; and yellow particles that are sensitive to blue light are dispersed in an insulating solution, is used. And the developing solution is filled between the transparent electrode whose surface that is in contact with the developing solution is electroconductive, and the blocking electrode whose surface that is in contact with the developing solution is insulating. An electric field is applied between these electrodes so that the particles of the respective colors are attracted toward the transparent electrode, and the particles are exposed from the transparent electrode side.
However, color printing in such conventional photoelectrophoretic imaging method requires exposure involving the three primary colors: red, green, and blue. Thus, if an image is exposed using a device that can control the imaging level per pixel such as a laser device or a light-emitting diode (LED) instead of directly exposing reflected light or transmitting light from a color document, then three photosensitively writing units, each of which emits light for each primary color, must be prepared.